Samphire me, some for you
Let not the weak pun of the title distract you from two facts: firstly, there was none for you (it was all for me); secondly, more importantly, samphire deserves to move beyond a partner for fish!
I had concluded, without much effort, that the salty aspect of samphire would be an excellent partner for the slight fatty quality of lamb chops and set about creating a meal that would demonstrate the point. I started, however, with neither of these ingredients and instead placed some bulgar wheat in a large bowl and covered it with both boiling water and a lid. Whilst the bulgar wheat cooked – a process that takes about fifteen minutes in this way – I lightly fried, in a little olive oil, some finely chopped red onion, ginger, and garlic. Having drained the wheat, I stirred in the cooked onions along with fresh black pepper and chopped corriander. In a way, this is a dish owing much to tabbouleh but wanders off in the vague direction of India. Try not to think about that too much; suffice to say it was a combination that worked well with the other components of the meal.
I chose to mix the samphire with mange tout; both are (in my opinion) under-rated vegetables and both have distinctive flavours that merit presenting in their own right, unencumbered by strong flavourings or spices. I blanched both for a minute or so in boiling water before lightly sautéing in a little butter (decadent, I know.) Couldn’t be easier. Except it could: the lamb chops went in the oven, at 200C, for about five minutes before being turned over and having another five minutes. On to the plate went everything, with the juices from the oven pan poured over the bulgar wheat.
The lamb was good, and nicely pink; the bulgar wheat made a nice change from potatoes/rice/pasta; the vegetables had a strong flavour, remained crisp, and the saltiness of the samphire – as before – cut through everything else. Lamb and samphire, therefore, a pairing that merits a wider audience. Go: try it!